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Jane Taylor (poet)
| birth_place = London, England | death_date = April | occupation = Poet | movement = Romanticism }} Jane Taylor (23 September 1783 - 13 April 1824), was an English poet and novelist, who wrote the words for the song Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. The poem is now known worldwide, but its authorship is generally forgotten. It was first published under the title "The Star" in Rhymes for the Nursery, a collection of poems by Taylor and her older sister Ann (later Mrs. Gilbert). The sisters, and their authorship of various works, have often been confused, in part because their early works were published together. Ann Taylor's son, Josiah Gilbert, wrote in her biography, "two little poems–'My Mother,' and 'Twinkle, twinkle, little Star,' are perhaps, more frequently quoted than any; the first, a lyric of life, was by Ann, the second, of nature, by Jane; and they illustrate this difference between the sisters." Life Born in London, Jane Taylor and her family later lived in Colchester, Essex; Colchester,Dutch Quarter and Ongar. The Taylor sisters were part of an extensive literary family. Their father, Isaac Taylor of Ongar, was an engraver and later a dissenting minister. Their mother, Mrs. (Anne Martin) Taylor (1757–1830) wrote 7 works of moral and religious advice, two of them fictionalized. The collection, Original Poems for Infant Minds by several young persons was 1st issued in 2 volumes in 1804 and 1805. Rhymes for the Nursery followed in 1806, and Hymns for Infant Minds in 1808. In Original Poems for Infant Minds (1805) primarily written by Ann and Jane Taylor and Adelaide O'Keeffe, the authors were identified for each poem. In Rhymes for the Nursery (1806) poems were not identified by author. The most famous work out of these was "The Star" by Jane Taylor (more commonly known today as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", sung to a French tune and usually shortened to 1 [[stanza) Christina Duff Stewart identifies authorship of Rhymes for the Nursery, based on a copy belonging to Canon Isaac Taylor, which was annotated to indicate the respective authorship of Ann and Jane Taylor. Canon Isaac was Taylor's nephew, a son of her brother Isaac Taylor of Stanford Rivers. Stewart also confirms attributions of Original Poems based on the publisher's records. In the fictional Correspondence between a mother and her daughter at school (1817) Taylor collaborated with her mother. Throughout her life, Taylor wrote many essays, plays, stories, poems, and letters which were never published.sp Taylor died of breast cancer at the age of 40, her mind still "teeming with unfulfilled projects". She was buried at Ongar churchyard. Writing Taylor's novel Display (1814) is reminiscent of Maria Edgeworth, or perhaps even Jane Austen. Her Essays in Rhyme appeared in 1816, and contained some significant poetry. Recognition After her death, her brother Isaac collected many of her works, and included a biography of her, in The Writings of Jane Taylor, In Five Volumes (1832). In popular culture * Taylor's most famous work, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," is almost always uncredited; "its opening stanza persists as if it were folklore, the name of its creator almost entirely forgotten." Alternate versions, pastiches, and parodies have abounded for centuries. See main article. * A character named Jane Taylor, who died in space at a young age, appeared in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. It is speculated that the character was named for Taylor. *"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" was parodied in a poem recited by the Dormouse in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) Publications Poetry ; by Jane Taylor *''Essays in Rhyme on Morals and Manners. London: Taylor & hessey, 1816.Jane Taylor 1783-1824, Poetry Foundation. Web, Dec. 16, 2012. ; by Ann and Jane Taylor *''Rural Scenes; or, A peep into the country. London: Darton & Harvey, 1805; New York: S. Wood, 1823. *''City Scenes; or, A peep Into London''. London: Darton & Harvey, 1809; Philadelphia: J.P. Parke, 1809. Fiction *''Rachel: A tale'' (anonymous). London: Taylor and Hessey, 1817. *''The Authoress: A tale'' (by "the author of 'Rachel'"). London: Taylor and Hessey, 1819. Juvenile ; by Jane Taylor * Display: A Tale for Young People. 1815. ;by Ann and Jane Taylor *''Original Poems for Infant Minds'' (2 volumes). London: Darton & Harvey, 1804-1805; Philadelphia: Kimber, Conrad, 1806. *''Rhymes for the Nursery''. London: Darton & Harvey, 1806; Hartford, CT: P.B. Gleason, 1813. *''Limed Twigs to Catch Young Birds''. London: Darton & Harvey, 1808; Philadelphia: Johnson & Warner, 1811. *''Hymns for Infant Minds. London: T. Conder, 1810; Boston: Monroe, Francis & Parker 1810; **republished as ''Meddlesome Matty, and other poems for infant minds. London: John Lane, 1925; New York: Viking, 1926. *''The Associate Minstrals'' (by Ann and Jane Taylor, Josiah Conder, and others). London: T. Conder, 1810. *''Signor Topsy Turvy's Wonderful Magic Lantern''. London: Tabart, 1810; Philadelphia: W. Charles, 1811. *''Original Hymns for Sunday Schools''. London: J. Conder, 1812 ** republished as Original Hymns for Sabbath Schools. Boston: S.T. Armstrong, 1820). Collected editions ;by Jane Taylor *''The Writings of Jane Taylor''. Boston: Perkins & Marvin, 1832. Volume V ;by Ann & Jane Taylor *''Tales, Essays, and Poems. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1884.Search results = au:Jane Taylor, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Dec. 1, 2013 Letters *Correspondence between a Mother and her Daughter at School'' (with "Mrs. Taylor"). London: Taylor & hessey, 1817; New York: William B. Gilley, 1818. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy the Poetry Foundation.Ann Taylor 1782-1866, Poetry Foundation. Web, Dec. 15, 2012. Poems by Jane Taylor #Twinkle, twinkle, litle star See also * List of British poets References * Feldman, Paula R. (1997). British Women Poets of the Romantic Era: An Anthology, Baltimore & London: Johns Hopkins University Press. * Stewart, Christina Duff. (1975). The Taylors of Ongar: An Analytical Bio-Bibliography, New York & London: Garland Publishing. * Taylor, Ann. Isaac Taylor, Jr., editor. (1832). Memoirs, Correspondence and Poetical Remains of Jane Taylor, Volume I of The Writings of Jane Taylor, In Five Volumes, Boston: Perkins & Marvin. * Taylor, Ann. Josiah Gilbert, editor. (1874). The Autobiography and Other Memorials of Mrs Gilbert, Formerly Ann Taylor, London: Henry S. King & Co. Notes External links ;Poems * "The Violet" at the Academy of American Poets. * Selected Poetry of Jane Taylor (1783-1824) (3 poems) at Representative Poetry Online. * Jane Taylor 1783-1824 at the Poetry Foundation * Jane Taylor at PoemHunter (36 poems) *Jane Taylor at Poetry Nook (43 poems) ;About *Taylor, Jane in the Dictionary of National Biography * Original article is at "Ann and Jane Taylor" Category:1783 births Category:1824 deaths Category:English poets Category:Women poets Category:English women writers Category:People from Lavenham Category:19th-century poets Category:19th-century women writers Category:19th-century English people Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Children's poets